Improvement in chevrons



UNITEDV STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS S. JOHNSTON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T O GEORGE SPENCER JONES, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHEVRONS.

Specificationforming part of Letters Patent No. 135,124, dated January 21, 1873.-

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANoIs S. JOHNSTON, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Ohevrons and method of making the same; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making a part of .this speciiication, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing represents a corporals chevron. Fig. 2 indicates a sergeants chevron; Fig. 3, a sergeant-majors chevron; Fig. 4, a quartermaster-sergeants chevron; Fig. 5, an ordnance-sergeants chevron. Fig. 6 shows the back of an ordnance-sergeants chevron. Fig. 7 shows a hospital-stewards chevron; Fig. 8, a service-stripe; Fig. 9, a common stripe; Fig 10, an orderly-sergeants chevron; Figill, a piece of cloth from which the curved top pieces are cut, as indicatedv in dotted lines; Fig. 12, a piece of cloth from which the chevrons are cut; Fig. 13, a piece of cloth from which the straight top pieces are cut.

My invention has reference to the uniform of soldiers, and particularly to the insignia of rank worn by noncommissioned officers. It consists in an improved method of making and attaching the chevron, combining at once greater elegance of appearance, cheapness, and durability. f.

Heretofore chevrons were made and attached substantially in the following manner: The stripes or other device upon the arm were made of silk or worsted braid, which was sewed to a piece of cloth, which in turn was sewed to tho cloth or material composing the coat or blouse; andbesides the broad stripe, which formed the usual basis of the design, a second narrow strip of different color was laid on. The essential idea of this method is the sewing on of braid, and its defects are many.

In the first place, the expense was great when compared with that of my improvement.

The first cost ofthe braid alone was heavy,

and also the outlay for the piece of cloth on which it was sewed. It was also an expensive matter to have the braid sewed into the kdevice desired. Then, too, it was found very difficult, if not wholly impossible, to have the work neatly done. Where the design, for instance, was composed in part of a star, which, to look well, must be sharp at all its Apoints and symmetrical throughout, an artistic piece of work could never be obtained; and even when the execution was as good'as the faulty method permitted, the result was not admirable. Braid is never rich-looking as compared with cloth, owing to the coarseness of texture of the former.

My improvement obviates these several defects, and commends itself at once on the score of greater beauty, cheapness, and durability.

Instead of employing braid, which has to be sewed upon the piece of cloth, as already described, for attachment to arm. of the coat to form the chevron, I use cloth, which is cut by any suitable means, to form the basis of the design required, using also a thread, run preferably bymachine, for the purpose of indicating a division-line, as hereinafter fully described.

In the drawing, Fig. 12 represents a piece of cloth of any necessary length and of suitable width. The dotted lines represent the manner in which it is cut in V-shaped pieces, whereby all the material except the fragments at each end of the piece is directly utilized without any waste whatever. Fig. 1 shows a chevron, a, composed of the V-shaped strip of cloth with a line or lines, b, as required, made by a machine-stitch, using by preference silk thread for that purpose. In Figs. 3

and 4 are shown chevrons worn by officers of different grades. These are made with a V- shaped portion similar to that of Fig. 1, and an upper cross-piece, straight, as shown at o in Fig. 3, and curved, as at d in Fig. 4. The upper strip c maybe cut straight from the cloth, incurring no waste whatever, while the strip d is a portion of a circle. or ring cut from the cloth, in manner similar to that shown in Fig. 13.

Fig. shows a chevron worn by an ordnancesergeant, which is made in the following manner: I first take a piece of cloth,

which forms the basis, and this I cut into the shape shown at e, having its lower portion V- shaped, and above this parallel sides and a curved top. At the point indicated at f I cut out a star-shapedportion,- and back of this I stitch a piece of blue cloth, made by preference in the shape of a star, and of larger dimensions than the opening. I then take another piece of blue cloth, shown at g, which I cut in the manner plainly indicated in the drawing-namely, with its lower portion V- shaped, having a curved upper portion and a large star cut in its center, permitting the cloth, which forms the basis of the chevron, with its central star backed with blue cloth, to show through. The piece of cloth which is cut from the outside, of blue, I use to form the backing of the smaller star cut in the basepiece, diminishing it somewhat, but yet leaving it larger than the small star opening in the base-piece. I also form the necessary lines b by means of the stitch, as already described. The lower stitch b, when formed, Vmay be some distance-say a quarter of an inch--from the edge of the cloth. To make it form an edging, I cut a straight slit in the base cloth extending from the apex of the same to the apex of the V formed by the lower line of the stitching b, and turn down the edge, uniting it by sewing at the apex and at the other extremities.

The chevron worn by a hospital-steward is shown at Fig. 7. The former method of constructing this was as follows: A piece of blue cloth of the requisite dimensions-say eight inches in length and two-in breadth-was first taken. Upon this was laid a piece of green cloth of the same length, but about half an inch narrower, so as to leave a border or margin of blue cloth a qua-rter of an inch wide on each side. Upon this piece of green cloth was worked with yellow silk or floss a caduceus of the same pattern as that shown in the drawing, and upon the blue-cloth border a fancy stitch was made with the same thread. This was a cumbrous, costly, and roundabout manner of producing a design which by my method is produced with ease and elegance and at slight expense. In the first place, the piece of blue cloth, which was a heavy expense, was unnecessary, and gave a bulky appearance to that which was intended to be ornamental; the needle-work upon the cada ceus and stripe was difcult of execution; and, lastly, the iioss came off and adhered to other portions of the coat. According to my mprovement this chevron is made of a single piece of green cloth; the caduceus is cut out by a knife made for the work, and the opening is backed with a piece of yellow cloth, a stripe or line being also run with yellow thread near the edge of the green cloth, in the manner already described.

Fig. 10 shows a chevron of the pattern allowed first sergeants, which is made in the same way as that described in Fig. 5, the design being varied by substituting a diamond for the star, and by makin g the top straight instead of rounded.

Fig. 8 shows the service7 stripe, which heretofore was made inthe following manner:

' A piece of blue cloth of, say, the following di mensions was taken, namely, about eight inches in length and two inches in breadth. Upon this was laid a piece of braid about half an inch wide and of the same length as the cloth to which it was sewed, leaving a margin of cloth on each side-say three-quarters of an inch in width. On each. margin, and about an'eighth of an inch distant from the braid already mentioned, was sewed a strip of narrow braid of color adapted to the particular branch of the service. Instead of this meth od I take simply a piece of blue cloth, of the dimensions mentioned-say eight inches by twoand upon this I run, in the manner already described, two lines of stitching, dis. tant about half an inch from eachV other, and using different-colored thread, accordingto the branch of the service for which the chevron is intended-yellow for cavalry, red for artil lery, &c. v

It will thus be seen that I effect a great saving in cloth, diminish the expense of making, and obtain a far more durable and ornamental chevron than that made in the former style, I use less base cloth, as by my method of cntting (as is best illustrated in the Vshaped portions) the central portion of the base cloth, which was retained under the old method, is cut out and utilized or forms part of a second chevron. Then I dispense wholly with the costly and cumbrous system of braiding, one of the defects of which was that it was often difficult to match the braid with the trimming of the coat designed to be of the same shade and color. According to my method the trimmings and chevrons may be cut from the same piece of goods, thus obtaining exact uniformity. Another advantage of my method is as follows: In case of promotion-say from corporal to sergeant--a new chevron is furnished the officer thus advanced. This chevronis substituted for the old one, which is removed to make place for the new. Now, under the old method the stripes were sewed onto a piece of blue cloth, which, being new, showed to disadvantage on an old coat; but according to my method a sergeant, for instance, is supplied with a chevron which is made of cloth of a single color-nas, for instance, yellow in the cavalry arm. This, when sewed directly to the arm of the coat or blouse, offers no dis-v agreeable contrast of old and new blue cloth.'

It will, of course, be understood that the color of the materials employed will be varied according to the branch of the service in which the chevron is used-light blue for infantry, yellow for cavalry, red for artillery, and Solferino for ordnance. The chevrons of corporals and sergeants require, therefore, only one4 color of cloth, the stripes being indicated by black thread, as already described, as is also the case with quartermaster sergeants and sergeants-major. First sergeants and ordnancesergeants, havin g, respectively, a diamond and a star, require also blue cloth, (dark,) which is cut and attached to the striped portion, as already described. Hospital -stewards wear Y to secure by Letters Patent, is-

green cloth, the caduceus being backed by the colorv appropriate to their branch, -the thread forming the stripe being of the same color. Y s

The chevrons may, if desired, be made with raw edges; but I prefer to make them bound, the method being that already described in reference to the chevron of ordnance sergeant.

What I claim as my invention, and desire The improved article of manufacture here-` in described, consisting of a chevron cut from cloth in any desired pattern, with stitched lines, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

* FRANCIS S. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses WILLIAM H. LEE, M. DANL. GONNOLLY. 

